A therapeutic device of this kind has been disclosed in EP 2 087 927 B1 which is used for the treatment of respiratory illnesses of persons. Such oscillating PEP systems generate rhythmical vibrations during exhalation due to the resulting pressure fluctuations, by means of which the airways are expanded and the mucous is separated from the bronchial walls.
Such respiratory therapy devices normally comprise a mouthpiece that is inserted in the human mouth and through which the breathing air is forced into a flexible elastic hose fixed onto the mouthpiece. The mouthpiece and the hose in this case are inserted in a curving pipe section that is fixed onto the mouthpiece. As a result of the curvature of the pipe section, the hose is shaped correspondingly to the radius of curvature of the pipe section, meaning that the passage cross-section of the hose is reduced in an area, as a result of which a higher air resistance is generated in this area. Furthermore, during exhalation, the free end of the hose is moved to and fro between the inner walls of the pipe section, thereby producing the necessary pressure fluctuations, since this guarantees that the air resistance in the curved area of the hose is changed slightly.
Such respiratory therapeutic devices have proven outstandingly effective in practice and are used successfully for corresponding bronchial illnesses. However, the airways become smaller and smaller in the direction of the lung periphery, ultimately reducing to a diameter of only about 0.5 mm, meaning that low frequencies between 2 and 6 Hz are necessary in order to overcome the impedance of the airways. For this reason, high pressures of about 10 to 15 cm H2O are required to overcome the capillary effects of the small airways in case of inflammations.
Although respiratory therapeutic devices of prior art have a mouthpiece with a position that can be changed in relation to the pipe section, such medical requirements cannot be achieved with the respiratory therapeutic devices which have been disclosed up to this point.
EP 1 987 864 A1 discloses a therapeutic device comprising a mouthpiece with a passage duct. In this case, a flexible elastic hose is attached to the opening of the passage duct and is supported by a support plate that is attached to the mouthpiece. At the free end of the support plate, a swivel joint is provided by means of which the resistance body can be variably adjusted to different angle positions in relation to the support plate.
It is a disadvantage that the change in position of the angle body exclusively changes the radii of curvature of the hose in the area of the swivel joint, meaning that only low oscillation frequencies can be achieved.
The task of the present invention is therefore to create a respiratory therapeutic device of the aforementioned kind by means of which both low and medium frequencies and pressure or flow fluctuations can be established during exhalation and varied within the widest possible range.
Furthermore, it is the task of the respiratory therapeutic device to enable a combination of the Positive Expiratory Pressure of prior art, by means of which a positive pressure status is generated within the mouthpiece of the respiratory therapeutic device.